Rap expert testifies in Ojai Valley murder trial

Gangsta rap lyrics penned by Alex Medina about "being a ‘G' " or shooting down a rival gang member do not necessarily represent a real glimpse into the Ojai Valley teen's life, a defense expert testified Friday at his murder trial.

During a full day of testimony, Erik Nielson, an assistant professor of liberal arts at the University of Richmond in Virginia who is an expert on rap music and culture, said there is a danger in using rap lyrics as an autobiography of the author's actual life.

Medina is facing murder charges for allegedly stabbing 16-year-old Seth Scarminach 25 times at a house party in the 2400 block of Maricopa Highway in Meiners Oaks on April 26, 2009.

Prosecutors said Medina is a member of the Ojai Sureños Lokos gang and targeted Scarminach that night because the victim said he was part of a rival group called the Meiners Oaks Boys.

Medina was 14 at the time of the slaying and is 18 now. He is being tried as an adult and could face a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted.

Earlier in the trial, prosecutor Thomas Dunlevy played various rap songs written and recorded by Medina where the defendant talked about killing gang rivals. Dunlevy said the rap lyrics Medina wrote before the killing and during his incarceration are autobiographical journals that talk about his affiliation with Ojai Sureños Lokos and violent acts he had committed.

Nielson testified that he considered Medina as a rapper who studied the craft of lyricism by well-known rap artists such as Easy E and Notorious B.I.G.

Nielson said well-known artists such as Eminem, Jay Z and Tupac often use a rap alter-ego or a narrative speaker to create sometimes-violent themes, but they are not reflective of the actual individual artist.

"Alex is no different," Nielson said. "He has songs that fall outside of the gangsta image and even some call attention to rhyme scene — he is playing with form. He is mimicking a genre and finding ways to expand."

Nielson said it would be dangerous to use the content of rap songs to deduce that the author is also part of the violent imagery life that they rap about. He said like many rappers, Medina used intentional hyperbole in his rap lyrics.

When asked by prosecutor Thomas Dunlevy if he was familiar with local Ojai gangs and if he is a gang expert, Nielson said no.

Asked if other rappers used location as an autobiographical context in lyrics, Nielson said artists sometimes do.

Asked if some famous rappers also were actual gang members, Nielson said some were, but, "Rap lyrics are so unreliable that it's very difficult to tease out what might be real and what might not be."